Painkiller

The Painkiller is a lovely combination of Dark Rum, Pineapple Juice, Orange Juice, and Cream of Coconut. In a lot of ways it's similar to a Piña Colada, but stronger, changed ratios, and an addition of Orange Juice. All that vitamin C and the extra booze will really cure anything that's causing you pain! Perhaps that's where the name came from. In other ways, like the Corpse Reviver, some have used a Painkiller the morning after to get rid of (or perhaps just put off) a hangover.

While our recipe below is specifying pretty much any Dark Rum, the traditional recipes specifies Pusser's Rum, which is a specific blend and brand of Rum. In fact, Pusser's has trademarked the Painkiller. So, if you want to be pedantic, it's not a Painkiller unless it uses Pusser's.

Of course, we feel the spirit of the cocktail is the important thing here. We're more into making cocktails with the ingredients you have, so if you have another Dark Rum, it will do the job. We want you to have fun and try new cocktails, so do your best with getting the "right" ingredients.

Total Time 4

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

60 mL Dark Rum use Pusser's Rum if you have it.
120 mL Pineapple Juice
30 mL Orange Juice
30 mL Cream of Coconut
Garness with a wedge of pineapple and some grated nutmeg

Instructions

Put Rum, Pineapple Juice, Orange Juice, and Cream of Coconut in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and give it a hard shake. Avoid shaking as long as usual so things don't get too diluted.
Strain into a Hurricane glass with fresh crushed ice. You can crush ice yourself by wrapping it in a tea towel and going over it with a rolling pin.
Add garnish.
Serve and enjoy.

Notes

The Painkiller was created in the 1970's at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands. While it was too late for the beginning of the Tiki movement in the 1930's, the Painkiller has quickly become one of the many Tiki classics. This is because of typical Tiki elements in the drink like Rum and fruit juice, as well as it simply being perfect to enjoy pool or beachside in a nice tall glass while sitting in the sun.

A Few More Thoughts About the Painkiller

We want to talk a little bit more about the Painkiller. As mentioned, there are some similar elements to it to the Piña Colada, but we think it improves on it in a lot of ways. Tiki cocktails tend to do this. Classic cocktails like the Piña Colada are great, of course, but cocktails like the Painkiller take the opportunity to examine this classic, look at them with fresh eyes, and build on them a little bit. You also see this in cocktails like the Beachcomber Cocktail versus an already excellent classic like the Daiquiri. Yes, some would say these cocktails don’t need improvement, and we agree. But we like the creative riffs people put on them later on. It’s part of the fun of making and drinking cocktails.

Can I make multiple Painkillers at once by increasing the ingredients?

This may work, but you’re limited to the size of your cocktail shaker. Strictly speaking, you need to shake this cocktail. Trying to make a big batch of Painkillers in a jug and stirring everything just wouldn’t work. Shaking the juices and the Cream of Coconut give a specific consistency to the cocktail that can’t be achieved by stirring.

So, while you may want to try making a big batch of these cocktails, you’re better off making them individually.

Can I make a Painkiller in advance and serve it later?

The Painkiller is probably a cocktail that’s best made to order. If left idle too long, you run the risk of having the Cream of Coconut separating from the other ingredients.

At what time or occasion should I try a Painkiller?

As mentioned, some have used the Painkiller as a bit of a quick hangover cure. While the “hair of the dog” method doesn’t really work to prevent a hangover, you may be able to put it off for a little while. Or at least get drunk enough to not care! But if drinking a cocktail to try an relieve some morning after pain is your style, perhaps this is the best time for you to have a Painkiller.

Alternatively, like the Piña Colada, the Painkiller is an excellent vacation drink. It’s the type of cocktail you have on the beach or by the pool. You can, of course, have one of these at a bar, but we like to be on a sun lounger when drinking one of these (a straw helps!). This cocktail was invented in the British Virgin Islands after all; it’s a popular vacation place that’s full of resorts.

Maybe if you are on vacation having a few drinks daily and nightly, starting the day with one of these isn’t necessarily the most unusual or foolish thing you can do. Just push through the hangover with more booze and worry about it when you’re done with your break.

How strong is the Painkiller cocktail?

It’s the same as a Piña Colada actually, which we put as average in terms of cocktails. 60 mL of Dark Rum is about the same amount of spirit you’ll find in other recipes, which is why we’re saying it’s average. Furthermore, everything is actually quite diluted thanks to all that Pineapple Juice, Orange Juice, and Cream of Coconut; more diluted, in fact, than its cousin the Piña Colada. There’s actually a surprising amount of liquid in one of these cocktails, so the ABV isn’t too bad. And since there’s plenty of liquid, a Painkiller will take plenty of time to drink, keeping things slow and ensuring you pace yourself properly.

What music is best to listen to while having a Painkiller?

Being an island cocktail, we suggest island music while enjoying a Painkiller. Although the Caribbean has a variety of music styles, and this drink is actually from the British Virgin Islands rather than Jamaica, we’re still going to suggest Reggae as the music of choice for the Painkiller. The reason for this is it feels like a vacation drink that you have at a resort. Resorts like to play relaxing island style music. Reggae may sound like a stereotype, but it’s a stereotype for a reason!

Put your feet up, kick back in the sun, and relax with a Painkiller!

If you’re still thirsty, we have plenty more cocktail recipes for you!

If you want to make more cocktails, we have plenty more recipes for you to choose from. We’ve linked to a few site sections that we think you’d like below:

Top 10 Rum cocktail recipes: let’s start with our favourite Rum cocktail recipes. If you like the Painkiller, you likely enjoy Rum, so take a look!

All Rum cocktail recipes: if you like what you find in our favourites, browse deeper through all of our Rum cocktail recipes. We’re sure you’ll find even more things to make.

All Dark Rum cocktail recipes: or if you’re just after Dark Rum, have a browse through our recipes that feature Dark Rum. We hope you find something great!

All Tiki cocktail recipes: or just keep the Tiki theme going. We have plenty of Tiki cocktail recipes for you to enjoy.